TOTTENHAM bucked the trend for loans and cheap deals on a busy transfer deadline day by splashing out £7m on West Ham striker Jermain Defoe.

TOTTENHAM bucked the trend for loans and cheap deals on a busy transfer deadline day by splashing out £7m on West Ham striker Jermain Defoe.

The five-year deal which takes West Ham's prized asset to White Hart Lane, and also sees Bobby Zamora move in the opposite direction, dominated a day in which Leeds and Portsmouth were also active.

Debt-ridden Leeds were involved in activity throughout the day but their biggest deal, the proposed £2m sale of goalkeeper Paul Robinson to Spurs, broke down.

The two clubs agreed a deal for the 24-year-old to move to London but plans to allow the player to remain at Elland Road until the end of the season contravened Premier League rules.

One player to leave the Premiership's bottom club was striker Michael Bridges, who agreed to join Newcastle on loan until the end of the season with defender Steve Caldwell moving to Leeds on loan until the end of the season.

Leeds had also hoped to sign Lomana LuaLua from the Magpies but he opted to join Portsmouth, who also brought in John Curtis from Leicester City.

LuaLua agreed terms to join Pompey on loan until the end of the season with Curtis signing on a free transfer.

Leicester also brought in a player, their third since the transfer window opened, as Lee Morris arrived from Derby for £120,000.

Middlesbrough signed yet another Brazilian as they landed World Cup-winning midfielder Ricardinho on loan for the rest of the season.

Blackburn Rovers' pursuit of Huddersfield Town's Jonathan Stead finally paid off as the Third Division club accepted an offer of "more than £1m".

Elsewhere, Charlton confirmed their £100,000 signing of Arsenal youngster Jerome Thomas and Liverpool right-back Jon Ostemobor agreed to join Premiership rivals Bolton on loan until the end of the season.